Museums in Autumn

What better time to visit a museum?

Tourist season has wound down, and most museums haven’t geared up for school tours yet. Which means you will have the place almost to yourself, with no crowds!

Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. I love summer, but I don’t like too much heat. The crisp, cool days of fall make it an ideal time to stroll through an open air museum, like Mystic Seaport, Sturbridge Village, Strawberry Banke, or Plimoth Plantation. Why not add a museum or two to your “leaf peeping” plans this year?

Traveling during the “shoulder season” can also save you a lot of money because hotels and even some admissions are cut from summer prices. Be sure to find out about special seasonal hours before you go.

Even if you haven’t operated on an academic calendar in years, fall brings that “back to school” feeling with it. Why not check out what your local museum’s education department is offering for fall? You will find a variety of workshops, lectures, and classes available at most museums. Try something new, or pick something you’ve always wanted to know more about.

If you are craving another kind of experience, you might want to consider attending one of the hundreds of harvest festivals held every year at all kinds of museums. They usually include hay rides, yummy baked goods, crafts, and lots of other fun activities for the entire family!

Halloween is just around the corner. Check out what your local museum is doing to celebrate! You might find some fun, spooky events, or some down right scary ones, right in your own backyard.

Heritage tourism is among the fastest growing forms of travel in this country. Why not head out to a new location and seek out what makes it unique? Take a few weeks to travel Route 66 across the country, and stop in some of the unique stores, restaurants, and historic sites along the way.

Visit the Pennsylvania Dutch, Ohio’s Amish Country, South Carolina’s Low Country, ghosts towns out west. See what makes these places unique. Nothing beats seeing the real thing, so get in the car and drive!

There are all kinds of learning opportunities around you that will feel more like fun than education. Museums are plentiful, and your admission dollars will help preserve so many stories for future generations to enjoy.